Sixteen deserving undergraduate students studying at the School of Travel Industry Management (TIM) at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa received scholarships totaling $53,000 from the Edwin M. Hastings Memorial Scholarship Fund established in 2009. The merit-based scholarships support TIM students who are Hawai‘i residents with a preference to those who graduated from local high schools.

Born in Brooklyn, the late Edwin “Ed” Hastings spent his entire career in the tourism industry, which began in New York with World Cruises. When Conrad Hilton purchased the famous Waldorf Astoria, he promoted Ed to General Manager. In 1955, Ed moved to Hawai‘i to manage Matson’s hotels, but returned to New York to rejoin Conrad Hilton when the Matson properties were sold to Sheraton in 1959. Eventually Ed returned to Hawaiʻi to manage the Hilton Hawaiian Village and then the regional operations of Hilton Hotels in the Pacific and the Far East. He supervised the Hilton hotel openings in Kona and on Maui and was instrumental in developing the Japanese market by making frequent visits to Japan to establish business relationships.

Ed Hastings was honored posthumously as a travel industry pioneer at the TIM School’s annual Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism Banquet in 2007 and inducted into the charter class of the Hawai‘i Hospitality Hall of Fame. Dr. Juanita C. Liu, the TIM School’s Interim Dean said, “This generous support for our hard-working students during these economic times is very much appreciated. It reaffirms the commitment from our community and the industry in support of preparing future professionals for the State’s largest industry. We are truly grateful for the foresight and generosity of the Hastings family and their continued support of our students.”

The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. Our mission is to unite our donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i's aspirations to benefit the people of Hawai‘i and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. Please visit www.uhfoundation.org.